Zhao Wei and actor Chen Kun who plays her lover in the war epic "Mulan" pose for photographers when they attended the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in May. [Shanghai Daily]

Her sense of style has been impeccable ever since.

"I have always been working hard on presenting a better image to the audience," she said. "Personally, I like evening gowns in light pink the most.

"I didn't attach so much importance to my looks in the past because I thought it's my film work that counts the most, instead of the clothes I wore," she said. "However, nowadays I have come to learn to take more care about my image, so that the audience will feel more pleasant when they see me."

Recently, the 33-year-old was elected as the youngest vice president of the Chinese Academy of Film and Performing Arts, an organization set up in 1985 to improve the standards of Chinese film. Today, it has more than 1,000 members.

"Starting from kindergarten and elementary school, I have never held any kind of position. So this is my first, and it's for the Academy of Film and Performing Arts -- I'm very excited."

Apart from acting, Zhao also sings and her seventh album, "We Are All Great Directors," is released next month.

There are rumors she married recently. "I'm not married yet but I do have people wooing around," she laughed. "The rumors only made me long for marriage more. Anyway, my 'market' is not bad at all, so don't worry about me!"

Zhao Wei's life and times

Born in March 1976, in Wuhu, Anhui Province, Zhao Wei is considered one of the leading young actresses in China today, along with Zhang Ziyi and Zhou Xun.

In 1996, Zhao was recruited by the Beijing Film Academy. She studied at the Performance Institute of the film academy and graduated in 2000.

Zhao's breakthrough was playing the lead in 1997's "Princess Returning Pearl," a popular television series. Two years after it aired, Zhao began her singing career with the first album, "Swallow."

In 1999, Zhao won Best Leading Actress at the 17th Golden Eagle Awards -- the highest television awards of China. In 2002, she was nominated Best Supporting Actress in the 39th Golden Horse Award.

In 2004, Zhao was nominated as Best Actress and won Favorite Actress at the 11th Beijing College Student Film Festival. She also nominated Best Actress in the 27th Hundred Flowers Awards the same year.

In 2005, Zhao won the 8th Shanghai International Film Festival's Best Actress Award. That year, Zhao also won Outstanding Actress of the 11th China Movie Awards.

Zhao has collaborated with many famed filmmakers including John Woo, Wong Kar-wai and Jiang Wen in works including "Painted Skin," "Red Cliff," "The Postmodern Life of My Aunt," "Chinese Odyssey 2002" and "Green Tea."

(Shanghai Daily September 20, 2009)